Nightmare
by WinterSpark
Summary: They were both living separate lives. One a Youtuber, the other just a regular student. Now, forced into a nightmare world, they would have to work together to survive. But, how can they, when they knew that if they die in a dream, they would die in the real world. And then there were those animatronics lurking around...
1. Night 1- Let The Nightmares Begin

**Hello! Winters here with a special Halloween Story! Featuring Chelsea, my character from A Forgotten Past, and Markiplier! **

**Now, just a little heads up, I have read similar stories, so, I didn't mean to copy the plot or anything, OK? Please don't hurt me.**

**If there is any readers from my other stories, please know that I'm not abandoning them. I will be focusing on this for the time being as it is Halloween soooo... *shrugs***

**One more thing for my readers. If the setting is a little off for Chelsea, it's because this is somewhat in the future. So, whether or not spoilers, I'll let you decide.**

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><p>"- And I'll see you in the next video. Buh-bye!" With that, Mark Fischbach stopped the recording. He yawned and stretched his arms, hearing the bones crack with a <em>pop!<em> Rubbing his eyes, he started the editing software and yawned again. Lately, he had been feeling really sleepy. It was getting harder and harder to do any types of chores, much less making his videos.

But he still do it, for the sake of his fans.

He rubbed his face with his hand, getting rid the sleepiness away, though not very much. The sleepiness was starting to get really unbearable. Maybe he should make a vlog saying he was sick or something. But later, he decided. He went out of the recording room and to his bedroom, crawling into his bed and letting sleep overtake him.

(::)(::)(::)

Chelsea Chan yawned again, stretching her arms. Jasmine watched her from across the table, concern glinting in her eyes, "Chelsea, are you okay?"

"Yeah.." Chelsea rubbed her eyes tiredly, "It's probably the stupid homework right here!"

She gestured the pile of books on the table with her hands, making Jasmine laughed. She joined her friend in laughter, before focusing back on the stupid Math homework. Form 4 Math can be really tough. Soon enough, she yawned and decided to change the subject, closing Math and opening English.

She looked at Jasmine across the table. Her dark skinned friend, although looked tired as well, she was not as tired as Chelsea. Probably. It was, after all, well over 12 A.M. The both of them were determined to finish their homework, so they could rest for the next couple of weeks. Jasmine seemed to do her Math with ease, making the Chinese pout. _Lucky girl_, she thought and sighed.

She yawned once again and decided that was enough for the night. She stood, packing her things into a neat pile at the side of the table, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm done for today. Tonight, I mean."

Her friend looked up at her, "Are you sure? You know, you can rest after you finish this, right?"

Chelsea shook her head and patted her stack of things, "With this pile of books? Probably not."

Jasmine smiled in amusement and went back to her book, "Good night."

The Chinese waved behind her as she went up the stairs to her bedroom, mumbling, "'Night."

She entered her bedroom and fell on her bed, closing her eyes letting herself fall into a peaceful slumber.

(::)(::)(::)

Mark opened his eyes, blinking the blurriness away. He reached to his side and grabbed his glasses on a small table, which had a tablet on it, to his side. He put on his glasses and his eyes widened in horror. This place...

It was the same place as Five Nights At Freddy's, the same game that gave him nightmares for days and the temporary fear of animatronics. But it was a game, right? It can't be real.

And yet here he was, reliving the same experience, only much more real than his nightmares. He straightened in his seat and looked down at himself. He was wearing the same clothes when he slept on the bed. He also felt much more awake here than earlier when he awake. That's good, right?

A phone rang, and he jumped and stared at the phone. He knew what it would said, but he was scared too. What if he was stuck on Night 4 or 5? At the third ring, the Phone Guy greeted him with an introductory greeting and he sighed in relief. At least he won't face the horrors of the later nights. And then he shivered. But that means he would have to face another four more nights.

He took the tablet on the table and checked the main stage. All three were there. Good. He looked back down and listened to the ramblings coming from the phone. He jumped a little, remembering Pirate's Cove. He quickly checked and sighed. The curtains were closed. Wonderful.

He checked the other areas, noting once again how real it looked. This had to be a nightmare. It had to be. He quietly wondered if he'd survive and be released once this was over.

Mark checked the storage room and found something rather strange there. He couldn't see clearly, due to the blinking light bulb, but he could see a body. "Someone's there!" The Youtuber exclaimed, nearly running out of the door but he stopped himself. "Wait, wait, wait."

He checked the cameras again, making sure that a certain bunny was at its place, then ran outside the office. It looked creepy outside, the drawings and decorations looked dark and, well, creepy. Mark entered the storage room and knelt down at the body, searching for a pulse. He felt relieved when he felt a faint pulse. He could now see that it was a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen, shoulder-length black hair covering her face.

She moaned and shifted, a clear sign she was waking up. Strange purple eyes blinked open and stared at Mark's own brown eyes. They stared at each other, before the girl promptly punched his jaw with a yell. He stumbled backwards, giving her a chance to stand and got into a fighting stance, fist outwards. "Who are you? Where the hell am I?"

"Whoa! Calm down, lady!" Mark raised his hands, gesturing that he meant no harm. She did, only slightly though. She lowered her hands and glanced around the storage room, wariness now replaced with curiosity. She asked again, this time not yelling. "Where am I?"

"I-uhh" Mark trailed off, unsure of what to say. He scratched his head and stood, starting his way back to the office. "You should probably come with me."

(::)(::)(::)

They entered the office, Mark explaining things on the way. The girl, who introduced herself as Chelsea, only nodded, indicating that she understood. She noticed there was something on the table with the tablet. Mark sat down on the chair and she leaned on the computer table, taking the paper from the table and read. She froze and looked at Mark. "Mark, what time is it now?"

"Huh? It's 3 A.M." He looked up at Chelsea, seeing her pale face and shaky hands gripping the piece of paper. "Why? What's wrong?"

He closed both doors, as they had enough power anyway, and stood next to her. He gently reached down her hand and slowly opened it, taking the piece of paper. He uncrumpled the paper and read the text that was written in blood red ink, freezing as well.

_If you die in a dream, you'll die in real life._

_Good luck surviving the next week._

Mark gasped and looked at Chelsea, who was already started crying. He pulled her into a hug, murmuring comfort as she choked out, "What did we do to deserve this?"

(::)(::)(::)

It was 5 A.M. They were quiet for the whole time, each thinking about their consequence if they don't survive this. Mark checked the cameras while Chelsea looked out at the doors. Although Bonnie had teleported around the pizzeria, he never come close to the doors.

Well, maybe a couple of times, and the both of them squeaked in fear before Chelsea closed the door.

The other animatronics stayed at their original position, save for Foxy who peeked out a little. Somehow, Mark thought that the reason was because they were going easy on the two. The animatronics knew they had four more nights to play with them. And time doesn't went by as fast as it does in the game.

Mark checked the time, curtesy of the tablet and found out it was almost six. He nudged the girl, making her jumped. He tried to smile. "Guess what? Time's almost up."

The purple-eyed girl smiled back, and nodded. "After this, we're gonna come back for Night 2, right?"

Mark nodded. Chelsea stood from her leaning on the right door opening. She looked out the doors, then waved at him, just as the bell rang. "See you tomorrow."

Then they woke up on their respective bed.

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><p><strong>That's the end of Night 1. 4 more nights to go, people! Unless if you want Night 6 and 7 as well.<strong>

**Here's a cookie ****and stay frosty*! (::)**

***If you know where that come from, I'll let you know that I love you and you clearly deserved more cookies. *^▁^* **


	2. Night 2- 20 Questions

**Phew! This took a while.**

**I think this story focused on Chelsea's backstory. You know, how she ended up at the orphanage and all. So, it is definitely recommended for new readers to read 'A Forgotten Past'. Well, not recommended but still.. You should read it.**

**Also, the Youtuber mentioned with Jasmine was Jason, or MinecraftUniverse. I definitely ship them already.**

**Lastly, I don't know if Mark has a girlfriend or not, but knowing me, this will most definitely turn into Chelsea/Mark. **

**Without further ado, please read on!**

* * *

><p>"Chelsea, are you alright? You looked exhausted."<p>

Said girl raised her head from the table and leaned back down, covering her face with her hands. She sighed miserably. Jasmine had been bugging her since Chelsea herself started acting like this, which was not long ago. The clock strikes nearer to her possible doom, and she felt like she was going to drown with the despair. _It's OK, _She tried to reassured herself, _It's only eight. Besides, Mark's there so I don't have to worry about anything. Probably._

Feeling a little bit better, she looked at the couch where her friend was sitting on, one knee close to the chest while tapping away on her smartphone. She smirked. Of course she'd be doing that, texting to her boyfriend. Chelsea then sighed._ That makes me, the lonely one in the house. _She thought, every sense of positiveness once again faded away.

She walked to the couch, sat down and grabbed the phone, earning a yelp from Jasmine. Chelsea looked at it, expecting the texts but only found out it was the YouTube app. She huffed in disappointment. "I thought you were texting with Jason. You know, couple stuff."

Jasmine's face turned several shades of red, but she took her phone back. "Nice to know you're talking again. And sorry to disappoint you."

"Apology accepted." Chelsea said. She looked at the phone curiously. "Who you're watching there?"

"Just a Youtuber I started watching a couple weeks ago." Jasmine muttered, swiping the screen. "His name is Markiplier and he makes quite good videos too."

"Even better than your boyfriend? Jason will be hurt once he found out about this." She teasingly placed her hands at her heart, making the dark-skinned girl sighed and started ignoring her. "Oh, come on, Jasmine. Don't do this to me."

Finally her friend muttered. "Whatever. Try watching this. I'm sure you'll like it."

She passed the headphones to Chelsea and started playing the video. A some sort-of montage started playing. Chelsea wanted to say something but she fell silent once she saw who was on the video. It was Mark. The same guy who was in the dream with her.

She yawned and looked at the time. Still early, but she could use some rest before going time that... Place. She paused the video. "Sorry. It looks like I'll have to hit the hay sooner than I thought. Good night."

"Good night." Jasmine watched as she senior friend walked up the stairs. She turned her attention to the phone and opened her texting app. "I wonder why she's been so sleepy lately."

She then shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure it's nothing serious."

(::)(::)(::)

_A girl, no older than nine, looked up at her mother. She glanced at her hand that held her little brother. "Mama, are we going somewhere?"_

_Her mother knelt down at her, purple eyes sparkling with happiness even though she looked worn out. She smiled and took her children's hand, rubbing it. "Yes, of course. We are going somewhere special. Somewhere I know you'll love it!"_

_The girl clapped, jumping up and down happily. Her little brother mirrored her, making their mother smiled again before coughing violently. She took out her handkerchief and coughed into it, hiding the stain of blood from her children and stood. She cleared her throat and offered her hand. "Shall we go?"_

(::)(::)(::)

Chelsea blinked the memory away. She didn't know why she had it at a time like this, but she decided not to dwell on it too much. Instead, she focused on the situation at hand, facing Night 2. They were in the same positions as they were last night, Mark sitting down on the chair and her standing. Mark was still asleep on the chair, looking surprisingly adorable. She couldn't help but cooed at the sight.

Her happiness was then replaced with slight disappointment when he woke up, glancing around confusedly before recognition lit in his eyes. He shifted in his chair awkwardly. "Um, hey."

She smiled and looked out the left door before facing him again. "Hi."

The phone rang, making her jump and stared at the phone startlingly. Mark chuckled. "Right. Forgot to tell you about the phone."

She glared at him, but was fighting off a smile that threatened to appear. Finally, the smile won out. She glanced at the phone. "Is this important to listen?"

"Personally? No. The guy basically give useless tips on how to survive and adding his own two cents." Mark checked the stage and saw Bonnie gone. "The bunny's gone. I repeat, the bunny's gone."

Chelsea checked the left door and froze a little. Her voice went a slight pitch higher than usual. "Hi, bunny. How are you doing?"

Bonnie was at the corridor, standing eerily still. The light behind it flickered on and off, giving the animatronic an overall creepy look. She took a step back and rubbed her arm, trying to calm the goosebumps. Mark noticed this and glanced at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I was just-um, never mind."

"Scared?" She nodded. Mark confessed. "Me too, actually. Quite the situation we've gotten ourselves in, right?"

"At least you have a bit of experience." Chelsea muttered. She turned the lights on, and screamed. Bonnie was there, right outside the door. She slammed the button, the doors sliding close with a _Whoosh! _Panting, she looked at Mark, who was frantically tapping the tablet. "Where's the duck? Where's the duck?!"

She tapped the right light button and almost screamed again. Chica was already there, outside the window. She slammed the button, watching the doors close. "Fuck you, duck."

Normally she wasn't the type to cuss, but in this kind of situation? It doesn't even matter anymore. Chelsea looked at the Youtuber, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. Mark was pale, and she was pretty sure her face was the placed her hand to her chest, feeling the rapid _Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba-dum! _of her heart and gripped the table. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking, so she looked at Mark, who was having his hands covering his face. "What..' She paused. Even her voice was shaky. "What time is it?"

"Yeah?" Mark asked before answering her question. "It's 3 A.M. and there's 40% power left. Can you check the door lights? We can't risk losing anymore power."

She checked the left light and he checked the right light and both sighed in relief. They opened the door and tried to relax a little. Mark glanced at Chelsea and being the gentleman he was, he asked. "Why don't we switch places? You'll do the cameras and I'll do the doors."

"You sure?" She asked uncertainty and he nodded, standing up and letting her sat on the only chair in the office. Although she hid her feelings well enough, she felt grateful that he offered his seat. She took the tablet and checked, seeing Bonnie at the backstage and Chica at the dining room. The time turned to four.

Mark cleared his throat. "I been wanting to ask you this but-"

"You want to ask if my eyes are real?" Chelsea cut him off, setting the tablet on the table. He nodded and she answered. "They're not fake, OK? I got it from my mother. Strange, right? Seeing someone having natural different eye color."

Mark could only nod. "Yeah."

She smiled, and checked the cameras. "It's OK, though. You're not the first to ask that. A lot-and like really a lot-asked me the very same questions. It's that real? Are you wearing contacts? The list goes on and on. And because of that, I was considered a freak in the society."

She gripped the tablet harder, swallowing the tears. She couldn't break down. Not now. Not when she did last night. Mark noticed this. He wanted to comfort her but they had just met yesterday. Instead, he said. "Who cares what those people say? It doesn't really make a difference, right?"

Chelsea nodded and he continued. "Besides, I think you look cool. It makes you.. unique, you know?"

She smiled, a soft and gentle smile that somehow make his cheeks redden a bit. "Thanks, Mark. I'll have you know that only handful people said that."

He nodded numbly, glancing out the doors. "Glad to know I'm one of them."

He snapped his fingers suddenly, looking at the girl. "I know! Let's play '20 Question'!"

Chelsea's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What is that?"

He stared at her, perplexed. "You've never played this before?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it back, leaning against the chair and pouting. Mark chuckled and explained. "Basically, you just ask questions and the person you asked answer it. It's a great way to know each other, actually."

"Well..." Chelsea glanced at cameras, checking and saw the two animatronics, Bonnie and Chica, at their respective corridors. She paled a little. "I guess we can play that, as long as we keep these stupid robots away from us."

"Huh?" Mark peeked out the right corridor. "It's too dark to see any-Oh shit!"

He turned on the light and Chica was there, right outside the door and uncomfortablely close to him. Fortunately, they weren't as scared as before. He closed the door and looked at Chelsea. "Who wants to go first?"

"Why don't you?" She checked to see Bonnie was back at the dining room. "I swear, that bunny can teleport around."

She then checked Pirate's Cove and froze. "Um, Mark? What does it mean when the curtains are out?"

He glanced at her, processing the question before widening his eyes. The Youtuber bolted to close the door, just as Foxy was about to enter. Chelsea jumped, nearly dropping the tablet.

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

Then the sound of feet shuffling reached their ears, indicating the animatronic was back at it's position. Mark sighed in relief. Chelsea looked at him, eyes wide in terror as she gave the tablet a death hug. He opened the door again. "That's what happens when the curtains are out."

Chelsea forced herself to breath. "OK. Tha-that's good to know."

She looked at the time. 5 A.M. 15% power. She checked Pirate's Cove and saw the curtains were closed again. Weird, but she'll accept it. She looked at Mark. "So, what were you about to ask?"

He thought for a moment. "What's your favourite color?"

She hummed. "I guess purple. Or black."

"Why not red? It bring out the color of your eyes." He checked the right door and after making sure Chica was gone, he opened the door.

She blinked. "Really. I never really thought of that. I mean, I have some red clothes at home but.."

She shook her head, snapping her train of thoughts. "But nothing. My turn, right? Where do you live?"

With that they asked each other questions, and learned a lot more about each other as well. At some point, Chelsea confessed that she didn't know Mark's channel, but he was OK with that. Occasionally, the animatronics came and interrupted their bonding session. The fear and terror slowly turned to annoyence each time the robots visited the office.

For the first time since being in that place, Chelsea laughed. She felt ease when she was with Mark. And that's exactly what she needed to survive in this place. She looked at the time. Almost to six. She glanced at Mark. "Well. Time's almost up."

He nodded. "See you tomorrow?"

"You betcha."

The bells rang and they woke up. Chelsea thought about her dream and Mark. Unbeknownst to her, Mark was doing the same as well.

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><p><strong>So, I would like to thank Contrary to Popular Belief for following. Here's a free cookies for you. (::)<strong>

**Come, come and review, fav, follow. *Using cookies as bait* (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)**


	3. Night 3- Lots of Talking and Explanation

**Oh geez, no reviews? **

**Thanks, guys. THANKS! This will be my first and last time I post a story at this archive. Thank goodness there's only three chapters left!**

**.**

**.**

**Sorry, that was- I didn't mean to yell at you guys. I just get upset when these things happen. It doesn't help that I had just finished watching Vanish playthrough from Markiplier. I guess I'm still feeling the rage.**

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><p>Mark rubbed his eyes, once again feeling the tiredness that he was beginning to be accustomed to. He had just finished recording. Even though he had thought about taking a break, he didn't want to worry his fans. The last time he did that, they had completely overreact.<p>

The life of a Youtuber was not an easy one.

After editing his video and posted it, he went to his room, stretching his arms. He sprawled on the bed, wanting to take a nap. He feared that he'd be back at the pizzeria, but he should be fine, right? Nothing should happen to him. Too tired to think, he closed his eyes and fell in a slumber.

(::)(::)(::)

When he woke, though, he did not expect to be in a rather unfamiliar place. Staring at the ceiling, Mark felt softness beneath him. Was he lying on a bed? He swung his legs over the bed, and looked around. He seemed to be in the backstage, beams and wiring all over the room. There were a star-dotted purple curtains seemed to held back some of the sunlight.

Curiosity came over him. He walked over the curtains and pulled it open. What he saw next surprised him. "You have got to be kidding me."

A familiar scene of the dining area of the pizzeria spread out across him. But it was empty. There were no children, as he should've expected, and nor animatronics as well. The lack of company made the place seemed almost... sad. Lonely. Abandoned.

He looked behind him. The room that he had slept was Pirate's Cove. But why? Why or rather how had he ended up there in the first place?

He explored the area a little bit. The party hats, plates and eating utensils were arranged neatly on the tables. A doorway that was probably the restrooms was across the room, to the left of the room were two corridors, so he assumed that was where the office was.

Glancing at the corridors, he wondered if Chelsea was here as well. With that thought in mind, he made his way to the office. However, as he approached the office, he heard voices coming from the office.

"Why is she like this?" A feminine voice rang out.

"I don't know! Why are you asking me?" A young man's voice replied.

"Would you be quiet!" And oddly accented voice quieted the other two.

Mark stopped immediately upon hearing the voices. He proceeded quietly, cautiously stepping to the office. When he reached the left window, he froze. The animatronics were there, crowding around something. He panicked, thinking it was Chelsea was getting hurt.

Not really knowing what came over him, he charged into the office and pushed the animatronics away from Chelsea as hard as he could. "Get away from her!"

"Wait!" The female voice which turned out to be Chica cried out. "We didn't mean any harm!"

Mark growled. "Did you really think I would-"

He was cut off suddenly when he accidentally brushed against Chelsea's arm. That apparently triggered something as his vision grew wobbly. He felt that himself collapsed but the cold, hard ground never came slamming to his face.

(::)(::)(::)

When his vision cleared again, Mark was in a completely different place compared to the pizzeria he was at. Small, yet comfy. To his left, there was the living room, he could tell from the couch and television. To his right was the kitchen, dining room and behind him were doors leading to several room. In front of him was a door. Just as he was about to move, the door was slammed opened by none other than Chelsea herself. But it wasn't the same Chelsea he had become acquainted to. She was younger, maybe eight, and she was full of life.

_A memory? _Mark thought to himself. _Why am I seeing this? What's going on?_

He watched as the younger Chelsea skipped in happily. A younger boy came right in with their mother. He noticed that Chelsea was a mirror image of her mother's. The boy who was obviously her little brother had the same black hair and brown eyes.

Chelsea grinned, running to a room to the right and emerged with a present. "Look, Mama! A present for you! Happy Mother's Day!"

Her mother smiled and watched as she came closer to her. "Why thank you. I wonder what's inside?"

She shook the present and the two children gasped in horror. "Mama, don't! You'll break it!"

Their mother gasped as she set the present on her lap. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

The little boy looked sad. "It's OK, Mama. I don't think you break it, right jie-jie(big sister)?"

Chelsea nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Try and open it, Mama!"

Their mother smiled and opened the little present. A small bracelet, clearly handmade, was in there. She gasped. The two kids looked proud at their achievement. Chelsea pointed at the bracelet. "We did that ourselves. Do you like it?"

When her mother didn't response, she looked worried and on the verge of tears. "You don't like it? I-if you want, we'll make a different present next week."

Her mother shook her head. "No, no. It's not that."

She hugged her children, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you. It's so beautiful. I will treasure this forever."

Suddenly Mark's vision was blurred again and he was brought back to the pizzeria.

(::)(::)(::)

In one of the room of Jasmine's house, Chelsea was there, studying when she was suddenly struck by a memory. It was the time when she and her little brother made that bracelet and gave it to her mother. As the memory faded to the back of her mind, she wept, tears dropping on her book. She wiped her tears and went to one of the drawers in the room.

She pulled it open and took out a small box. She opened it and there it was, her mother's bracelet. she took it out and held it close to her chest, slipping down to the ground. Tears threatened to flow once more, but she forced it down.

Instead, she whispered. "Mama, didi(little brother), I miss you..."

(::)(::)(;;)

Mark opened his eyes. He hadn't realized he had closed his eyes, but apparently he had. Light covered his vision and he blinked to adjust. When his vision cleared, he saw that he was back on the bed at Pirate's Cove... And the animatronics were staring at him.

He scrambled backwards and opened his mouth to scream, only to cough violently. He glared at the animatronics and saw they seemed worried? _What? _He watched as Freddy spoke to Chica on his right. "Can you grab a glass of water?"

Chica nodded and went out. "Be right back."

Mark couldn't stop his coughing spree. Out of the corner of his eye, Freddy tried to approach him but he only moved backwards each step Freddy took. "S-stay away fro-from me."

Freddy reluctantly obliged. Mark felt pats on his back, easing his cough a little. He glanced behind and saw Foxy was the one who patted him. His eyes widen and he scrambled away from the animatronics but was stop by Foxy who had a firm grip on him. The pirate spoke with the odd accent. "Be still if you want that coughing of yours to stop."

Mark tensed and froze, save for the dwindling cough. Foxy sighed and let go of his arm, allowing Mark to relax slightly. Freddy raised his arms. "Sir, if you would calm down and-"

"Calm down?!" Mark forced himself under control. He took a deep breath. "How can I calm down when you tried to kill us the last two nights?"

He almost wished he hadn't said that. The animatronics flinched and Mark struggled not to feel guilty as he watched Freddy took off his top hat and bowed his head. "And for that, we apologize. We weren't here by choice, and neither as you and the girl."

Mark was about to say something when Chica came back, a glass of water in hand, err, wing. She passed it to him who glanced warily at the glass of water. "Here, drink this. You'll feel better."

He looked at the glass of water. He couldn't just drink it. What if this was poisonous? On the other hand, though, he didn't want to anger the animatronics who probably have the strength to kill him easily. So, he took a sip, carefully, then when the coast was clear, drained the water. Chica seemed to smile at him, not a demented smile but a surprisingly warm smile. The others looked relieved. He tried to ignore the looks. This could very well be a trick. Appearences could be deceiving.

Mark cleared his throat. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well..." The young man's voice from earlier that belonged to Bonnie started. Chica nudged him. "Ow! What?"

"Why don't you let Freddy tell the story?" Chica huffed and crossed her wings. "Attention-stealing bunny."

"Jeez, no need to get mad." Bonnie scratched his ears. "Just because I play a guitar doesn't make me an attention-stealer, Miss I-Like-To-Walk-Around-And-Give-Children-Clearly-Unhealthy-Pizza."

"Why you-"

"Would you just shut up!" Foxy yelled at the two bickering animatronics. "You're scaring the poor lad."

They both looked at Mark who was staring at them rather oddly, clearly not used to the animatronics talking, much less having personalities. Freddy gave a wry smile at him. "Surprised?"

Mark could only nod, not knowing what to say. Finally, he said. "That was... interesting."

Freddy chuckled. "Indeed. Not many people were able to see this side of ours when all they saw were monsters."

Mark looked at the animatronic, bewilderment lingering in his eyes. "What?"

Freddy sighed. "I should start from the beginning. We've been... cursed, to put it simply. Every night we weren't ourselves and started attacking people."

Chica continued. "We've tried to warn the people that came here, but we couldn't move. We couldn't speak." She shivered. "It's almost like we were controlled. All we could do was watch helplessly as we.. "

Mark could understand why she trailed off. He knew what was at the end of the sentence and he was glad that she didn't finished. She sounded so sad, not a hint of lie in her tone. Slowly, his hatred for these animatronics started to fade away. But questions began bubbling in his mind, though he kept quiet till the end of the story.

Bonnie continued from then. "Then the two of you came along. You were the first to come here during the daytime when the others didn't. And that, I hope, give us a chance to explain ourselves."

"I was hoping for a nap but that didn't happen." Mark couldn't help but interrupt.

Freddy chuckled. "I apologize if you didn't get what you desire."

"What I desire was this nightmare to be over." Mark muttered, unintentionally sounding snaky.

The bear animatronic ignored the tone. "We wish for that too, truth be told. Alas, that would be impossible without lifting the curse. The curse, we believe will be able to be lifted when you survive our... Aggressive selves. You and the girl are our only chance of being free."

At the mention of Chelsea, he immediately thought about the memory, or dream possibly that happened earlier. He was still feeling disoriented from that. He wondered. _Then what was that with Chelsea?_

"What was what with who?" Chica spoke up, having heard of what he asked.

Mark looked at her, confused. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did lad." Foxy spoke from behind him, making him jumped.

Mark glared at the pirate. "Can you stand there with the others? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Though he muttered the last part under his breath, Foxy heard it loud and clear. The animatronic cackled as he made his way to the others, earning a glare from Mark and curious looks from Bonnie and Chica. Freddy looked at Mark, intrigued. "Sir, what exactly did you have during the brief period of time you were asleep?"

The ground seemed to caught Mark'a attention for a while before he spoke, still staring at the floor. "First of all, call me Mark, please. 'Sir' makes me feel like an old man."

Out of the corner of his eye, the animatronics nodded before he continued, hesitating slightly. "I'm not sure how to tell you this. It was so strange. I... Think I was reliving a memory. But the thing is, it wasn't mine. It was Chelsea's."

Silence ensued. Then Chica muttering at Bonnie something. Freddy seemed to think for a moment, then gestured for Mark to follow him. Mark got out of the bed, and they went to the office. When they entered though, his heart squeezed painfully when he saw Chelsea. Literally. He gasped and leaned against the doorway, rubbing his chest. The pain soon became too intense for him to be able to say anything before it calmed to a certain extent where he could breathe properly again.

Mark panted, sweat beading his forehead. "Wha-what was that?"

"That, I do not know." Freddy back and forth between him and Chelsea. "But I believe the two of you have become connected somehow. This wasn't possible but due to the fact that you and her were sent here.. I truly am sorry for this to happen to you."

"Don't be." Mark wiped the sweat of his forehead. Now that he thought about it, he could feel someone else's, probably Chelsea, emotions, beside his own. Many of them felt familiar to him but some doesn't. Pain. Hurt. Loneliness. He mentally shook his head and focused on the animatronics. "It's not your fault. But I have a question though. Were there others before me?"

"Plenty others." Chica said, looking guilty if that was possible. "You were the eighth? Ninth? No, eighth. You were the eighth pair to come here since the curse started. But you two were the first to reached this far. The others... Gave up."

Mark felt sorry that he asked that question. He awkwardly placed a hand on her wings, stroking the feathers and looked at Chelsea. Even when she was sleeping, she looked pained. He shook his head again, this time physically. "If it helps, you don't have to suffer anymore."

They looked at him, shocked and slight hope rising. Bonnie gasped. "You mean-"

"Yeap. We're going to free you. I'm going to make sure we break the curse and you guys can go back to where you belong." Mark put his hand on the side and looked at them. "When I was sent here the first time, I was terrified. I have a life and being sent here scared me. Now, I sort-of understand why you did this. Plus, I don't want other people suffering from being sent to survive. So, I wanna make sure we made it, especially if it kills me."

Freddy bowed his head. "I thank you, Mark. I'm sure that this was no coincidence that we meet."

Mark grinned. "Don't mention it. As I said before, I have a life and I wanna go back to that life when this is over."

As he finished his sentence, however, he glanced at the sleeping form of Chelsea and his smile dropped a little. When this was all over, they would return to their old lives. They would return to not knowing each other. For some reasons, he didn't want that. He didn't want to forget her beautiful features. Her unique purple eyes. Those rosy cheeks. Hell, even the soft and silky hair. She even had a soft scent on her, the smell of lavender.

From that moment, Mark realized he had fallen for her.

(::)(::)(::)

Surviving Night 3 was easier said than done. After all, he had experience it and was able to survive in game. But in real life? Forget it.

Mark woke up in the office. He saw Chelsea awake and he held his breath for a moment. She was wearing a red shirt and black sweatpants. And even with no makeup, she looked magnificent. He cleared his throat, making her looked at him. "I told you, you look nice in red after all."

"Shut up." Chelsea muttered, and Mark could see faint blushes on her cheek. "There were no other clothes to wear. And you're one hour late!"

He wondered why he was late. Perhaps it was because when he woke up in his apartment later that day, he found out that he couldn't sleep until now. "I couldn't sleep."

She shook her head, and he could sense disbelief from her, both shown on her face and her emotions. He sighed. _This is going to take some getting use to._

He hadn't realized Chelsea was already speaking, so he missed a little bit of what she was saying. "-lucky enough we didn't have much action. Yet."

He watched her checked the cameras before deciding to speak. "Listen, Chelsea, I-"

He was cut off when they heard a soft _tap-tap-tap _sound resonating throughout the right doorway. Panicked, Mark slammed the door shut. Chelsea too froze and checked the cameras, then sighed in relief. "Chica's in the bathroom and Freddy's still at the stage."

"Then what's outside?" Mark clicked the door light, glancing out through the window. What he didn't expect was a soft knock on door. They jumped and looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. _Since when the animatronics got so polite?_

Mark cautiously opened the door, and the most unexpected, yet adorable being hopped into the room. He gasped. "Tiny Box Tim! Oh, this nightmare just turned to awesome in a matter of minutes!"

"Who?" Chelsea could only watched as he hugged the tiny crate. Tiny Box Tim was, as she couldn't deny, incredibly cute and adorable. It's-or his-big blue eyes and stick-like arms served to make the living crate looked even more sweet and lovely. She found herself resisting to hug and instead glanced down at the tablet.

After a few minutes, Mark only then seemed to remember her. He cleared his throat and set Tiny Box Tim on the computer table. "Sorry. I got a bit excited there."

Chelsea gave him a strained smile. "No problem."

He involuntarily flinched when he felt the amount negative emotions began pouring within him. For a brief moment, he wondered if she could feel _his_ feelings as well. He sighed and looked at his other companion, distracting himself from Chelsea's emotion, as well as his own. "How are you here, Tiny Box Tim? And why?"

"I'm here to help, of course!" Tiny Box Tim's high-pitch voice happily chirped. "I will protect you from any danger!"

"Thanks, Tiny Box Tim." Mark smiled gratefully. "For now, can you watch over the right door? I'll check the left."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Tiny Box Tim saluted before jumping off the table and watched over the door as instructed.

Mark looked at Chelsea, who seemed content on checking the cameras. He then noticed a bracelet on her wrist, the same handmade bracelet she gave to her mother. He cleared his throat, awkwardly asking. "Where did you get the bracelet?"

Chelsea looked at her arm, a glint of confusion in her eyes. "I didn't-What?"

She shook her head as Mark glanced outside the door before looking at her again. "I must've wore it when I went to sleep. Yeah, that's it. Um, I made it and that's all I wish to say about it."

Mark nodded and let the matter drop. It was clear she didn't want to talk about it. It made him wonder though, what happened to her mother. But he didn't want to pry into her personal life too much. So instead, he said. "Look, Chelsea. I need you to listen to me. Something happened to me earlier."

"What? Did you lose something precious?" Chelsea laughed, but stopped abruptly when she saw his face. "Alright, alright. You'll do the talking and checking the door. I'll do the shutting up and checking the cameras. Sheesh."

Mark told her about earlier, only leaving out the memory he saw and that they're connected as that would be too confusing to explain. Occasionally, Tiny Box Tim would urge them to close the doors when the animatronics were outside. Finally, he watched for a reaction when he had finished. He could sense that she didn't believe him, but he waited.

Chelsea was silent for a while. Placing down the tablet, she met his eyes and saw complete truth in them. She inhaled then exhaled slowly. "O-okay. I'm not going to lie, this is hard to believe. I mean, even if you're telling the truth, how would you know if they're not lying?!"

"You try being in my shoes!" Mark yelled, making her winced. Tiny Box Tim stayed quiet, knowing this was not his fight. "I know what I saw, Chelsea. I can tell, it was not all fun and games. They had been suffering for a long time and if we die, more people will suffer."

"You think we'll die?" Chelsea stood and continued without waiting for an answer. "Why? Why must you insist on helping them when you think we'll die? I just wanna survive till the end. If I want to die, I would rather die with my fa-"

She stopped suddenly and looked down, tears leaking in her eyes. She sat down on the chair and suddenly took interest on looking at the tablet, shoulders slumping in defeat. Unbeknownst to the both of them, they could feel each others pain and because of that, the pain doubled and neither could bear with it. Mark looked away and out at the door, trying to hold the back the tears. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.

He jumped slightly when he felt a small hand on his palm. He smiled at the little crate. "Sorry, Tiny Box Tim. I'm gonna be alright."

Tiny Box Tim opened his mouth, wanting to speak his mind but said. "It's OK, Mark."

Chelsea spoke up from behind, reminding him why he was here in the first place. "All three animatronics are out."

(::)(::)(::)

They were both quiet throughout the night, save for the occasional yelp and curse but other than that, it was quiet. The two of them were hurt. Even though Chelsea was able to bottle-up her feelings, courtesy of her status at school, she still unknowingly felt Mark's. And that was enough to make her feel emotional.

It certainly was getting more difficult as the animatronics was starting to get more violent. But with luck, they were able to reach 5 A.M. with 10% power left. How were they going to survive Night 4 and 5 if the power runs out this fast? Time finally clicked to six and the bells rang, waking the both of them out of their sleeps.

Chelsea didn't get up from the bed. Instead, she lay staring at the ceiling before the bottle burst open, making her hugged her pillow as she cried.

Mark sat on his bed when he felt the burst of emotions from Chelsea. And he hated it. It seemed that even when they're awake, they could still feel each other. He wiped his eyes, then proceeded to cover his face as tears began flowing from his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry. I just can't resist adding Tiny Box Tim.<strong>

**He's just so adorable! **

**...No? Well fine. I won't response if you review unless if you add in 'Tiny Box Tim is cute.'**

**I don't care.**

**..**

**...Want a cookie? (::)**


	4. Night 4- Painful Memories

**Wow.. I just keep breaking my longest chapter record.**

**Well, let it be known that here are only two chapters left. And I am done with this archive. For the time being. I can't say forever because I know I will come back for another round.**

* * *

><p>"Do you think he suspect anything?" Chica looked at the sleeping forms of Chelsea and Mark. The animatronics had placed them at the bed with Tiny Box Tim cuddling between them. Because of the earlier fight the two had, they seemed exhausted.<p>

Foxy grunted and poked the living crate with his hook. "What I would like to know is what is this thing?"

Freddy ignored the pirate and shook his head. "No. I believe he trust us completely, though there may be a slight suspicion from the girl."

He watched as Bonnie joined in with Foxy on disturbing Tiny Box Tim. Chica looked thoughtful for a moment. "But Chelsea.."

The bear animatronic looked at her. "Yes?"

"Does she realize that we're doing this for her? For the Mistress?"

Freddy was silent before he spoke. "I suppose not. But she needs to face her past with courage, not fear. She mustn't let her memories take control over her life. I guess that was why Mistress chose him out of all people."

(::)(::)(::)

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Chelsea? Lunch is ready."

Chelsea shifted in the bed, and glanced behind her towards the door. She was unable to sleep after the little episode, so she supposed she looked terrible. She shouted at Jasmine. "Do you mind? I wanna get some sleep here."

A pause. Then, a reply came. "Fine. If you want to eat, it's on the microwave."

She sighed when she heard a shuffling of feet and faded as Jasmine went downstairs. It was a lie that she would sleep. It's not like she can sleep. She didn't really want to return to that nightmare. So, for the whole six hours or so, she just lay on the bed, not wanting to get up. But she knew she would have to eventually.

She sighed again and swung her feet over the bed. Looking down at the red shirt she wore, she wondered why she wore that of all the other clothing she could've wore that night, unlike what she had told Mark. Standing and stretching her body, she changed her clothes into her usual style. Black and purple.

She was about to get out of the door when she glanced at the mirror. Her eyes were quite swollen and red, as well as tired but she was already used to that. She traced her fingers over her swollen eyes. "Geez, I look horrible. Why did I have to breakdown like that?"

Chelsea looked down at the bracelet that was on the dressing table. Now she was sure she didn't wear it to sleep. "Maybe.. But then."

She shook her head and sighed. "I need to exercise. Maybe that can break me out of this depression bubble I've gotten myself in."

With that thought in mind, she went downstairs and grabbed her bag of equipment before saying a goodbye to Jasmine. Said girl looked back and asked just as Chelsea went out the door. "Where are-"

She already went out by then.

(::)(::)(::)

A warm breeze greeted her as she walked down the path to the her destination. The sun was already shining in the middle of the day. Of course, it was the afternoon after all. With a jolt, she realized just how long she had been cooped in the house. And wow, it had a quite a while since she left the house.

As Chelsea walked, she hummed. Occasionally the smell of food would try to lure her away, but it's not like she had any money. Finally, she went up the familiar stairs of the park. For the time being, the park was quiet, save for the squeaking shoes of the basketball players practicing for their tournament at the basketball court. She went up to the worn-out tree she always used to released her restrained emotions, mainly anger.

Chelsea smiled apologetically and patted the bark she was going to use once again. "Sorry, bud. Looks like we have to go another round. I'll go easy this time."

She imagined the tree responded to her, probably saying something among the lines of. _"Yeah, right. Like you told me the many times before."_

That thought made her chuckled a little as she took out one of her only equipment, a bo staff. She had this way before the accident as a method to protect her little brother as well as her friends. Way before she was sent to the orphanage, before her life went to Hell. Gripping the staff, she took a deep breath and imagined herself in a forest. The squealing shoes faded to a murmur in the distance. Releasing her pent-up anger, she striked the tree with the bo staff.

(::)(::)(::)

The sun was slowly sinking down when she finally stopped. Panting, she patted the tree again. "Thanks and sorry that you have to be my victim."

"Wow. You're finally done, huh?" A familiar voice rang from behind. Chelsea looked and saw Jasmine, who sat at the bench at the picnic table, closed her book, smiling at her. "Four hours straight without rest. Something must've happened."

"Four hours? I didn't realized it was that long." Chelsea sat down across her and took the container that her friend brought. She opened it, sniffing the delicious aroma. "What did you cook this time?"

"Chicken rice. Should be enough to last a considerable amount of time." Jasmine took a pinch of the chicken and dropped it in her mouth, earning a glare from the Chinese. "What? I cooked it, ok?"

"That doesn't give you the right to eat it. Especially my share." She took the fork and spoon then started devouring the meal, savoring the taste. "Geez, Jasmine. You've got some cooking skills. These are delicious."

Her friend smiled and took another container, taking out a cookie and munched it. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

Chelsea grinned, "You should definitely open a shop. Maybe you can, like, sell spaghetti or this and give handmade cookies for free like Subway."

"Soon, I hope." She replied. "Though I don't really have the intention to open a shop. I would rather use it as a hobby."

"Why not?" Chelsea looked at Jasmine, pointing her fork at her. "That's a waste of talent, you know. Unless.. Oh I get it. I see."

"What?" Jasmine took a while to understand. When she did, her eyes widened. "No! That's not it. I just thought there were too much competition, that's all."

"Nonsense, there's never enough competition." Chelsea sighed and asked, half speaking to herself. "Why won't you admit you like him?"

Jasmine obviously thought she was asking her about Jason, and gazed up at the setting sun. "It's not that. I do like him. It's just-we're far away. I live here, in Malaysia while he live there, in America. It's hard to keep in touch when we're kilometers away from each other. I couldn't count how many time he'd stayed awake, just to talk to me."

"I'm envious." Chelsea muttered, laughing slightly.

Jasmine looked at her strangely. "You don't mean-"

"Yes, I do actually." Chelsea stared at the table, remembering Mark's kind expression, his words. Somehow, her heart squeezed at the thought of losing him. She looked at her friend, eyes widening with a faint recognition of what she felt. "l-I just realized something, Jasmine. I think I've-"

"You've fallen for someone, haven't you?" She saw no teasing on Jasmine's face, she simply stated. "That's the same look I had when I realized I fell for Jason."

Chelsea raked her hair with her fingers and closed her eyes, pleading for the feeling to go away. "What should I do? I've never felt this before."

"Whoa, relax." Jasmine went to her side and rubbed her back in a soothing manner. "Hey, it's OK."

"I don't know what to do. It was never this bad before." She placed her hands on the table, shoulders slumped.

"Not even with the countless boys you've stalked?" Jasmine asked with a smile.

Chelsea glared at her. "Shut up! That's different. I _admire _them from a distance, understand?"

"Like that have any difference whatsoever." Jasmine snorted.

Chelsea moaned and slammed her face at the table. "Make it go away. Please."

"The thing is, Chel', it doesn't." Jasmine stopped rubbing Chelsea's back and gazed at the sky. Chelsea paused in her moaning and looked at her friend without lifting her head. The girl was clearly sharing something private with her. Chelsea was able to discern regret in her friend's tone. "It'll stay there for the rest of your life. And when you were betrayed, that feeling turned into a scar to your heart. That was what keeping me from loving Jason. Even though I've moved on, I still loved him. You know who I'm talking about, right?"

Yes, she knew. Jasmine was talking about her ex. Chelsea stood, feeling a wave of anger. "Bullshit. Why? What did he did to deserve you? All he does was torture you and laugh while he does it. He.. He even.."

She faltered when she felt her anger faded just as quickly, replaced by an unnatural sense of serenity. Almost like something was calming her down. She shook her head, as if to dispel it and packed her bag. "I-I need to sort my feelings. I feel so confused."

Before she left the park though, she glanced at Jasmine for a brief moment. "I take it you're not leaving anytime soon?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah.. I think you and I both need some time alone."

(::)(::)(::)

Chelsea paced in her room, feeling agitated. Something was happening to her and she didn't like it. Not one bit. Why was she feeling like this and what was that sudden calmness that made her anger fade away? She paused when she felt that soothing feeling again. Sitting down on the bed, she nearly ripped out part of her hair, while she muttered repeatedly. "Stop it. Stop it."

What on Earth and all it's glory was happening to her? It was as if her emotions were being messed with. Almost like...

She froze completely, coming to a realization. She slapped her forehead, groaning. "Of course! It had to be that. I knew that place is bad."

She paced once more, ears picking up a faint door closed as she mumbled to herself. "Maybe Mark know something about this. After all, he was the one who talked to them."

She looked out the window, stopping as a short memory of her star-gazing with her family flashed in her mind. She suddenly felt uncertainty as she thought about their brief argument. "Would he even want to talk about that? We did end up fighting and the only reason it stopped was because I didn't want to talk about _that_."

She sighed and sat on the bed, glancing at the clock ticking. 7 P.M. Still early, so no problem at all. She took out her laptop, opening to a certain website and clicked on a video. The music started playing and she hummed along the lyrics as she leaned back against the headboard. This particular music was supposed to have sad lyrics, but the fact that it was Japanese and she had listened to it so much, it barely affected her anymore.

All of a sudden, the memory of the accident flashed before her eyes before she could stop it.

(::)(::)(::)

_"Mama?" Young Chelsea looked up worriedly at her mother who was coughing yet again. Her mother had been coughing so much the past few days. It worried her. People shouldn't cough that much, right? There was also the time when she saw ketchup sauce dripping from her mother's lips, but she had told Chelsea not to worry. "Are you alright?"_

_She stopped her coughing spree and glanced down at her innocent little daughter. She couldn't cancel this, not when they had planned for so long. Not when she worked so hard to get that pay rise. So, she knelt down and smiled reassuringly at her, though the smile didn't reached her eyes. "I'm fine, sweetheart. This cough? This is nothing to worry about. This simple cough won't stop us from having our special trip!"_

_At the mention of 'special trip', Chelsea began jumping up and down ecstatically, the worried thoughts vanished in an instant. Her mother smiled again, this time the smile reached her eyes and mirth was shining in them. She patted her daughter's head as to calm her down. "Yes, yes. I get it. We are all excited. Now, why don't you get Mr. Birthday Boy here to join us."_

_She nodded and ran into the room, not noticing her mother's smile dropped into a sad frown. "I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you that I'm already dying."_

(::)(::)(::)

"NO!" Chelsea was able to snap out of the memory before it took a dark turn. She gripped her head, squeezing her eyes tight as she desperately wished for the memory to go away. "Stop it! Stop it, please!"

It worked. She could hear the music playing in the background, giving her an anchor to reality. Slowly, she released her grip and dropped on the bed, staring blankly at the laptop screen. She could feel a sob coming, but she held it in. She felt so empty, and it was because she knew it was her fault. She should've noticed it and done something about it. _She should've noticed it..._

But she didn't, and for that, she had paid the consequence very dearly.

She barely noticed it but a soothing feeling came within her. This time, however, she welcomed and clung onto it. She whispered forlornly, too tired to even move. "Eight years. Eight years I've been tortured by this. Why? Why can't I move on? Why must I suffer like this?"

(::)(::)(::)

She was silent when she woke up at the pizzeria. Chelsea supposed she was so tired that she fell asleep. Glancing around the office, she saw Mark awake, seemingly restless as he talked to Tiny Box Tim with their backs on her, which suit her just fine. She sighed quietly, checking the cameras. All three animatronics were still at stage. That's good.

She placed the tablet down and sighed again, feeling a sense of remorse as she rubbed her eyes. It was then Mark seemed to noticed her. He smiled and waved a little. "Hey, you're awake."

She only nodded, not saying a word. Mark frowned, concerned for her. "Did something happened? If you're mad about yesterday-"

"I'm not mad about yesterday." She forced herself to speak and closed her eyes. "I promise. I... was just having some bad memories."

It was clear that Mark wanted to ask more, but he wisely kept silent. And for that, she was grateful. She hummed as she checked the cameras. A soft tone that always seemed to keep the memories at bay. She fell oblivious to the stares her other two companions gave her.

Tiny Box Tim nudged Mark. "What's she humming?"

"I don't know." Mark replied, for once feeling calm from the purple-eyed girl. "I don't think I've heard of that before."

"What a surprise." The living crate muttered.

"Hey!" Mark turned towards Tiny Box Tim, pretending to be offended. "What's that supposed to mean? Tiny Box Tim, not you too!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The crate looked away and watched over the door while Mark huffed and watched over his.

An hour later, Chelsea finally worked up the courage to asked him. "Mark, can I ask you something?"

He looked at her, feeling a sense of anxiety from her. "Yeah, what?"

"Please don't think I'm crazy when I asked you this." She almost begged him.

Mark rolled his eyes and leaned against the compiter table, joking slightly. "OK, I promise I won't judge you in the most horrific way possible. How about that?"

"OK." She smiled and sighed, hesitation in her voice. "Did.. Anything happened to you earlier? Like-um- How do I explain this? Like you're not feeling like yourself."

To her surprise, Mark muttered under his breath but in the small office, she could hear it clearly. "So you felt it too, huh?"

"Felt what?" She stood up, making Mark looked at her, slightly alarmed. "Mark, are you hiding something? Why am I feeling like this? Why have-"_ I fallen for you?_

She was afraid to finish the question. Mark might not feel the same way about her. But it didn't matter anyway. One more night, then it's over, though it might left her one more scar for her to carry for the rest of her life.

Mark looked at her in the eye, and confessed. "I'm sorry. I had been hiding things from you. I can't quite explain it.."

But he tried his best anyway. He told her about the connection as well as the memory he had_- her memory. _This time he left nothing out. She could feel her panic rising with every words and by the time he finished, she was close to having a seizure. Heart pounding, she sat back in the chair. There was one question she wanted to ask, but she was petrified that she might caught in the memory.

Still, she needed to know. Chelsea hummed the music in her mind, hoping to keep the memory away and asked. "Did... Did you see the memory I had earlier?"

It didn't work. As she asked the question, the flashes of the memory came into her mind. Then, she heard Mark yelled at her faintly before the memory took her over with full force.

(::)(::)(::)

"Did... Did you see the memory I had earlier?"

Mark saw Chelsea's eyes glazed over and closed as she finished the question. Tiny Box Tim hopped to her chest, shaking her shoulders. But she wasn't responding. "Mark? Mark, there's something wrong with her."

"Chelsea? What's wrong?" Mark went over to shake her, hesitating when he remembered the last time he had touched her. He knelt down beside her, the thoughts of survival were forgotten. He checked her pulse but cursed when his vision started to go blurry. "Damnit! Not now!"

Mark quick checked her neck and felt a faint pulse just as he blacked out. Tiny Box Tim glanced worriedly at Chelsea when he heard a loud _THUD! _ He looked over and saw Mark fell to the ground. Panicked, the crate hopped down and shook his shoulders. "Mark? Mark, wake up!"

"Oh? So they were telling the truth."

Tiny Box Tim jumped and stared menacingly at the woman who just walked in who had a surprisingly familiar pair of eyes, but he can't seemed to remember where he saw it. He growled "Stay back!"

She smiled down at him. "Don't worry. I won't hurt them."

"Pray tell." The woman knelt down and patted his head. "What is your name?"

The living crate blushed and leaned a bit for the pats. "I'm Tiny Box Tim, Ma'am."

She giggled, and his eyes widen when he remembered where he had saw the pair of eyes. She mused. "Tiny Box Tim. A rather unique name if you ask me. Well, Tiny Box Tim, I will only be here for a while and I will make sure that certain... Pests won't come down the hallways."

"Really?" He asked. "You can do that?"

"Of course." She smiled. Then she looked a bit guilty. "After all, I was the one who placed you, all of you, here, in this nightmare."

She stood up and walked away, murmuring. "I am sorry. I truly am but this has got to be done."

(::)(::)(::)

_It was her brother's birthday when it happened. David, her little brother, her didi, had just turned seven. They had planned to go to the amusement park a little while away. But her mother had to work hard, gone nearly everyday, just for their special day. They didn't even had a car, forced to take the bus. And her mother was sick._

_Still, they remained cheerful. Even when their father left, they still hadn't lost their innocence. For that, their mother was happy and proud of them. They waited at the bus stop, for a bus that came late. Still, that didn't wavered their spirits. Their mother coughed again, making Chelsea worried thoughts came again. She looked at her brother and saw that they were having the same thoughts. He poked her mother gently. "Mama, are you OK?"_

_The bus came and they ride on, sitting in the middle. Their mother looked at them. "I am fine. Don't worry. Always trust a mother's instinct, remember?"_

_She patted herself in the chest and they nodded. If she said that, then she's right. After all, a mother's instinct was never wrong. They returned to playing with each other, oblivious that their mother hid yet another tissue paper stained with blood into her bag. _

_Chelsea barely knew anything. It had happened so fast. One minute, it was fine. Then the next, the driver shouted some profanities that she knew her mother would wash the driver's tongue for speaking them. Then suddenly, she was lifted into the air._

_Scared, she instinctively hugged David as her mother hugged them both to protect them from danger. Before she knew it, everything went dark._

_Pain. Her body was racked with pain. She struggled to open her eyes and was triumph. But she instantly wished she was back to that world of darkness. The bus was flipped over as she woke up on shattered glass. And worse of all, bodies lay unmoving and lifeless. Some were opened in a silent scream while others lay peacefully, almost like they were sleeping. The other row of windows that were desolate of it's glass panes were above her head. That might be it. Her way out. But first._

_"Mama? Didi?" She glanced around and caught a glimpse of her little brother. She crawled to his side, wincing at every glass shards she felt. She shook his shoulders. "Didi, wake up!"_

_David stirred and moaned. "It hurts, jie-jie."_

_"Come on, wake up!" She begged. He opened his eyes and glanced around. "What happened?"_

_"I don't know, but we got to get out of here." Chelsea helped him up. His head had blood dripping to his side. "I have a bad feeling."_

_He glanced around. "Where's Mama?"_

_"Maybe the rescuers saved her already." She looked up at the glassless windows and got and idea. "I have an idea. Maybe we can get out by using this hole."_

_"How exactly?" Then he looked up. Even for a now-seven year old, David was pretty smart. He immediately knew what to do. "Alright then. Who's doing it?"_

_"I'll do it, then you'll help me up."_

_"Ehh? But then I'll have to carry you. And you're so heavy, jie-jie."_

_Chelsea sighed. "Then what? We stay here?"_

_"That's not what I meant." David scoffed. "I'll do it and you'll carry me."_

_Chelsea fumed. "...Fine. But don't complain if I'm too heavy."_

_David knelt down on one knee and held out his hands together, flinching on the glass shards. Chelsea gingerly stepped on the waiting hand and using the seats as support, managed to get out all while mumbling someting about 'little brothers' and 'bossy'. She held out her hands, then stopped. She pointed to her right instead. "There! Mama's right there!"_

_"Where?!" He followed her direction and gasped. "Mama!"_

_He started pulling her lifeless body, grunting as he go. Chelsea eagerly waited and glanced around outside. The rescuers were not there yet, but she could hear wailing sirens coming closer. Then she sniffed. What is that smell? It was something her teacher told her in class. Gas.. Gas, right? She saw smoke coming out of the car that crashed them. Oh no. She had learned that smoke equals fire and if fire mixed with gas... She knelt back down, reaching her hand. "Come on, David! We don't have much time!"_

_David froze. Normally his sister would use his name when she's angry or scared. He quickly hoisted their mother up and she grabbed her mother's arm, standing as she pull the body up. Panting, she reached out her hand again and David gripped her arm as he climbed up using the tilted seats. Chelsea yelled and together, managed to pull him up._

_David coughed, breathing in the fresh air. But, Chelsea pulled him up. "We got to hurry!"_

_Barely managing, they pulled their mother off the bus. Other people who came out of the bus helped them as well, moving further and futher away from the soon-to-be explosion. They were able to go safe distance when the bus exploded. Sighing in relief, Chelsea turned back to her mother, feeling for any sign of life. There were none. "Mama? Mama, can you wake up?"_

_Her little brother noticed her distress and too tried to wake his mother. "Mama, wake up. Mama."_

_They barely noticed when the people helped them and pushed their mother's chest and announced she was gone. All they knew was the fact their mother had met Death as they were once told by her._

_From then on, it only got even more worse. After the accident, they were hospitalized together as they couldn't even separate since their mother's death. David was sitting on her lap as he cried again. "She's gone, jie-jie. She said she was fine but she lied."_

_"Shh." Chelsea hummed the same lullaby their mother used to sing. She wanted to cry but she couldn't as the responsiblity now fell to her and she would give all her soul to protect her little brother. She closed her eyes, leaned her chin on David's head and sang softly. _

_Twinkle, twinkle little star, _

_How I wonder what you are,_

_Up above the world so high, _

_Like a diamond in the star,_

_Twinkle, twinkle little star,_

_How I wonder what you are._

_You see, didi, we don't have to wonder what the star is anymore."_

_"What do you mean?" David's teary eyed face looked at her. She smiled brokenly and looked out at the might sky. She pointed towards them, trying not to sob. "You see up there? That's where Mama is now. She one of those stars shining light at us. So, you shouldn't cry, didi. Her light might go away."_

_With that last word spoken, she broke down and hugged her little brother. That's when the shouting came in._

_"Where is that little bitch and her little bastard of a brother?! I wanna kill them for killing my wife!"_

_"Sir, please calm down! You can't enter the ward!"_

_"Oh, yeah? Watch me!"_

_David looked at her sister, eyes wide with fear. She looked at him and ordered. "David? I need you to listen to me. You need to hide under the bed and do not come out, no matter what happens. Understand?"_

_He nodded and did as instructed. Right then, the door slammed open and in came her father. She stood up and faced him. He shouted, coming right at her. "There she is! You bitch! You will get it for killing my wife."_

_He yanked her hair and pushed it, making her slam onto the floor. The nurse ran outside, presumely to where the docrors were. Chelsea caught eye of her little brother who was covering his mouth as he watched the scene unfold. She shook her head slightly, warning him not to come out. Their father growled and yanked her head again, hissing. "Where is that disgraceful excuse of a son?"_

_"Nowhere." She gritted her teeth, struggling to free her hair from his grip. "He wasn't the one who kill Mama. It was my fault. I was the one who suggested it."_

_"Then you'll be sorry you ever suggest that in the first place." His breath reeked of alcohol. With that, he threw her to the ground and kicked her over and over again. Luckily for her, the doctors came in with the tranquilizer. Soon, their father was out of the ward, leaving Chelsea slumped on the floor. _

_She coughed and saw the same ketchup sauce coming from her mouth. "So that's what it is." She coughed again. "Blood."_

_David came out under the bed and sprinted towards his sister. "You're going to be fine, right? You won't leave me too, right?"_

_"Stupid didi." She murmured, struggling to open her eyes. "Of course I won't leave you. You're too stupid to take care of yourself."_

_As darkness claimed her, she faintly heard David screaming for her to stay awake._

(::)(::)(::)

Mark woke up panting on the floor. He had witnessed her memories and felt disgusted by it. Who would do that to their own child? He glanced up on the table and saw Tiny Box Tim was looking worriedly at the two and was relieved to see him awake. "Mark! You're awa-"

A scream cut the living crate off. Mark caught a glimpse of Chelsea shaking violently and immediately, he stood up as she too woke up, crying. To prevent from her running out of the office. and potentially be in danger, he hugged her. He could feel her lashing out, physically and emotionally. He attempted to soothe her and calm her down. "Calm down. You're fine."

"How would you know that?!" She shouted, and slowly stopping once realized struggling was futile. She repeated her question again, this time weeping. "How would you know that? I don't you ever had your mother gone and your father beat you on the same week."

"You're right, I don't." He replied softly. "That's why I felt horrified. I didn't know what happened to you and I pried in your memories when I could've stayed back."

He rubbed circles around her back and sent the soothing feeling at her. She held onto it as she cried into his shirt. Mark supposed having that memory once was traumatizing enough. Experience it twice... Chelsea was nine when the accident happened. To have her unable to move on and suffered it again and again...

He felt sorry for her.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>My mood for this story just keeps on going down and down until I saw the views and review and my mood went back up.<strong>**

**Terima kasih kerana memberikan saya insprasi untuk menulis.**

**(Thank you for giving me the inspration to write.)**

**Yeah.. I learned Bahasa Malaysia because I'm a Malaysian, OK?**

**Well.. Whatever. Whoever really observant can tell who the 'Mistress' is.**

**I swear, the ending just kept changing in my mind.**

**Review : **

**Contrary to Popular Belief : Ikr! I think I got the plot twist was because I listened to that new Five Nights at Freddy's song which yes, it exist.**

**Cookies. Cookies! COOKIES! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)**

**HAHAHAHAHAHAH**

**...When did I get so obsessed with cookies? -_-b**


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